Thomas Tobin’s Two Notebooks

Black Leather Notebook

A black leather book with a metal clip, dates back to 1882. It shows an 1882 calendar on the inside cover. Thomas has written the verse and chorus of a song that held interest for him at the time. It is beautiful penmanship and proudly signed written by T Tobin. The other entries relate to his marriages and births of his children. It is obviously his ‘formal’ account of important happenings in his life. The following is an exact transcription.

First Marriage and Birth of Children

Thomas Tobin &) Was married
Marrie Christie) (Age 27)
At Westlandrow Roman Catholic Church Dublin on the 3rd day of July 1889.

Ellen Marrie Tobin was Born on 3rd December & was Baptized on the 7th (?) 1890.
– And died on the 6th January, 1891.

Winifred Agnes Tobin
Born 15th February 1892 & Baptised on 28th February, 92
Baptised in South Melbourne {in margin}

John Michael Tobin, Born the 28th April 1894& Baptised the 20th May 94
Baptised in Port Melbourne {in margin}

Marie Tobin died February 10th 1897

Second Marriage and Birth of Children

Thomas & Alice O’Dowd was married in Fremantle Roman Catholic Church Western Australia on Twentyth Day of Aprial, Eighteen Hundred & Ninety Eight.
Thomas Tobin Age 35
Alice O’Dowd “ 25

Mary Julia Tobin
Was born 16th March 1899 & Was Baptised 26 March 1899.
Fr Flynn, C.C.
Frank O’Dowd & Agnes Tully – Sponcers
North Fremantle {in margin}

South Melbourne Parish
Leo Thomas Tobin
Born 10th of March 1902. And was Baptised the 23rd of March, 1902
Maggie O’Dowd & James O’Dowd Sponcers.
Fr Graber

Joseph Mark Tobin
Born 25th April 1904 And was Baptised the 16th May. 1904
Rev Fr.O’Farrell. C.C.
Joseph M Tobin
Died July 8th 1904

South Melbourne {in margin}
Alphonsus Tobin
Born 23rd August 1905 and was Baptised 10th September 1905
Rev Fr O’Farrell. C.C.

South Melbourne Parish
Noel Patrick Tobin
Born on the 18th December 1907.
Baptised on the 5th January 1908
By The Rev.Fr O’Sullivan C.C.

Thomas O’Halloran Tobin
Boran on the 28 of November 1909.
And was Baptised on the 12th of December 1909 by the Rev Fr O’Farrell C.C.
At S.S.Peter & Paul’s South Melbourne
Had too teeth at 4 months of age.

South Melbourne Parish
Kevin Tobin
Boran February 3rd 1912 & was Baptised on the 18th of Feb 1912
By the Rev Father W. Walsh

The following notations are not in Thomas Tobin’s handwriting

Alice Tobin died at Flemington 28 January 1944 Aged 71 years

Thomas Tobin died at Camberwell 6th July 1953 Aged 90 years.

Old ‘well-used’ Red Notebook

The smaller red pocket notebook is full of jottings and figures and torn-out pages. Obviously well-used as a memo book with names and addresses – both in Ireland and Melbourne. It is also in this notebook where in 1886, he wrote what sounds like a report of the ‘scerious encounter’ at Dundrum. He also lists some Escort duties for 1888, naming various patients and their guards; names a couple of patients who were discharged, also costs of clothing items.

I searched in vain for the mention of coastal boats that he may have used for his travels to and from Fremantle in the late 1890s, although he mentions a ‘train and boat and Canning’.

Just enough to tease the most inquisitive of descendants! [Denise, July 2011]

The following entries are transcribed exactly:

Work related – Dundrum State Asylum

I Thomas Tobin started on duty in Dundrum State Asylum, on the 6 day of November 1884.

Doctor Ashe the Governor told me, The 6th day of March 1885 that he recived my appointment from the Lord Lieutenant

T. Tobin

Wednesday 11th March 1885 I was supplied with uniform slop suit & top coat

Thomas Tobin

March 4th 1886
Recived my bootmoney

T. Tobin

March 4th 87
Reived my bootmoney

T. Tobin

Received the sum of 17s. from Doctor Ashe on the 7th Januy/June/July ? 1888
For third class Railway tickets 5s.10p

• Railway Ticket to Cork 1 pound 19 shillings and 1 pence
• Car hire 2.0
• Patient dinner (?) 1.0
• Michael Harryton
• Cork D. Asylum

Serious Encounter – Report?

On Thursday the 18 of November their was a scerious encounter between the Patients at the hour of 1.30. A Patient be the Name of Thomas Wilson brought a Knife out of the shoe-makers shop, and in the act of going to dine he attacked a patient be the name of fox alis Kelly. It seems this Kelly had the handle of a spoon sharpened Which was equaly as bad as the knife. All the Attendants that could be aviable was their but owing to the interference of the other Patients the Attendants couldn’t part them untill the patient Kelly got four or five stabs of the Knife on the Neck and face. Of course their was a search made for the weapons amongst they patients & all of them was procured.

Wilson of course was confined to cells for some days, then he was allowed out in the air-in yard after the other patients going to the Ball-court, with his hands confined by means of A Strap, the house was very orderly considering the excited state of the patients as you must understand it was a Religious matter got up Between them. Untill Saturday the eleventh of December when Wilson came out after the other patients to the air-ing court the excitement raised immediately amongest them. The doctor had to be sent for & the upshot of it was He got struck twice in the face.

[Perpetual calendar indicates 1886]

Thomas and Maria Tobin’s Emigration Trip – 1889

Thomas Tobin and Maria Christie married on July 3, 1889 at St Andrew’s Catholic Church Dublin and set sail for Australia from Tilbury, London two days later. The church is situated beside Pearse Station on the railway line to Kingston (now Dun Laoghaire) port. As part of the Irish Mail route ie Dublin via Holyhead to Euston station in London, ferries crossed the Irish Sea regularly to Holyhead in Wales. Steam trains crossed the countryside to Euston, where another line took passengers to Tilbury. It was claimed that by 1885, journey times on the London to Dublin night rail had been cut to ten hours and 20 minutes.

Thomas Tobin recorded their voyage on the S.S.Orient to Melbourne in his notebook telling of the ports of call at Plymouth, Gibraltar, Naples, Port Said, Aden, Columbo, Albany and finally, arriving at Williamstown on August 16, 1889. It’s a great opportunity to see him as a young man, obviously happy and enjoying the trip. With the numerous facts and figures, he obviously read the ship’s notices every day. The trip through the Suez Canal fascinated him. He enjoys getting a bargain or two. And we get a wonderful insight into the heat and shipboard happenings – down to the naming of one of the passengers who dies.

In parts, it is difficult to read because of his writing implements at hand. It commences in black-lead pencil, gravitates to red crayon like pencil and then is completed in a few different coloured inks. His writing varies according to his medium (red crayon) and seems to be affected during the intense heat section. However, considering the writing’s age, it is a wonderful privilege to have such an insight of Thomas Tobin, my grandfather, the tourist.

Following is a transcription of the journey by Libby Tobin in 1989 with a couple of alterations by Denise Shine on inspection of the Notebooks in July, 2011.

Copied from Thomas Tobin’s Notebook on Emigrating to Melbourne
5th July – 16th August 1889

Tilbury, Friday 5th : Went on board at 11 o’clock. Did not sail until 3. Got in Plymouth at 1. The night fine. We were not sick, only the wife for a short time. Splendid View along the coast of England and Plymouth surpassed anything I have seen yet. We stopped for three hours and went very fast. Passed Isle of White at night…

… So far the Bay of Biscay very rough for about 30 or 40 hours. Went on nicely and came in view of Lisbourne and Cape St Vincent on Tuesday 9th. Going splendid. Any amount of jumping, running and games. On the coast of Portugal at 3.50 pm. Cape St. Vincent in sight. There is a signal station at the very point. We passed it by 5.15 pm London time.

10th July got in view of the mountains of Africa. They look very nice and the view to our left before we enter the straits is grand. We entered the straits at 8.50. Very bad land to the left. Until we get in front of the town, the town is probably facing out to the sea with the rock ascending. I couldn’t compare it to anything but honeycomb. First you meet all ships and the houses. It is the nicest I have ever seen…

… Left it at 2.30. You can easily distinguish the difference of the ocean and the moderate sea will right the ships nor seeing sight of land either at 11th or 12th until the morning of the 13th.

We came in view of the coast of Sardinia and had a splendid view of it for five or six hours. Arrived in Naples at 6.30 Sunday morning. Left it at half past one on Monday the 15th. If you can go ashore, and great many passengers went and they said it was very beautiful. You can get back-forward for 2/6.

…about 9 hours sail . . . You came in view of the Mediterranean Sea. Lighthouse is at your right. . . mountain standing like an island in the sea. The average travelling from Naples was first day 338 miles, 17th 341, 18th 349, 19th 340. Got into port on the 26th at 6pm. Left it at 12…

…Goes very slow through the canal. We stopped at Ismalia near Lake Timsack . . . That was so interesting and the heat was so intense that the fireman could not stand it and we could only travel at the rate of 313 miles until we got into the port of Aden. Then we did 358 miles. We could see the island of Kerim. It is a signal station, but could not see Aden…their did a man die when going through the Gulf. He was A Peter Higgins his wife, A servant and some children was with him.

On 21st July to 26th was something dreadful. The heat was so warm and then the sea so rough when the passengers were fainting with the heat. . . they were dropping with the sickness at all sides until the morning of the 27.

We arrived in Columbo on Thursday morning 30, Left it on 31st at 7.30 am. A great variety of ornaments was brought on board by the natives and I got a box of cigars, about 100 for sixpence. You would paid about twopence for them in Dublin each. There was some splendid sticks also. I got a coconut stick for 3 pence.

We crossed the line on 1st August at night.[equator?] The sea was very rough since we left Columbo. We passed The Australasia on the second of the month going home… We have seen no sight of land until Saturday the 10th at 1.30 pm.

We got into Albany on Sunday morning at 7.30. Departed it at 9.30 am and the sea was very rough from the time we left Columbo.

Got into Williamstown at 9.30 am on the 16th August 1889.

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